Gísli Rúnar Jónsson (20 March 1953 – 28 July 2020) was an Icelandic actor, screenwriter and director.

Early years

Gísli was born in Reykjavík, Iceland in 1953 to parents Guðrún Valgerður Gísladóttir, a housewife and Jón Konráð Björnsson, a local business man.[1] Gísli has three siblings.[2]

Career

Gísli is mostly known for his involvement with Icelandic comedies and sitcoms in the 1980s. He wrote and directed the sitcoms Heilsubælið í Gerfahverfi and Fastir liðir eins og Venjulega, which become hugely successful in Iceland and have been played on reruns every few years for the last 30 years.[2]

In 1996 Gísli hosted his own talk show called Gott Kvöld með Gísla Rúnari (English: Good Evening with Gísli Rúnar) on Stöð 2.[1]

In addition to starring in numerous plays Gísli is also a vivid screenwriter and translator of foreign plays into Icelandic. To name a few of his translations are Little Shop of Horrors,[3] Grease and Mary Poppins.[4]

In 2001, Gísli wrote the biography of singer Björgvin Halldórsson.[5] In 2011 he published the book Ég drepst þar sem mér sýnist (English: I'll die wherever I feel like), a book filled with funny stories from his early days as a comedian.[6]

Personal life

Gísli was married to actress Edda Björgvinsdóttir. They met in drama school in the 1970s and were divorced in 2000, though they remained close friends.[7] They have two sons, who like their parents both took to acting, Björgvin Franz Gíslason and Róbert Ólíver Gíslason.[8] He has two other children from other relationships.[9]

His son Róbert was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome as a child. Gísli, as well as his older son, Björgvin, was thought to have the disease although he was never diagnosed by a professional.[10]

Gísli was an alcoholic and stopped drinking in 1987.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 Sæberg, Árni (1996-12-22). "Man of many faces". Morgunblaðið. Retrieved 2016-11-14 – via www.mbl.is.
  2. 1 2 Profile: Gísli Rúnar Jónsson, Stöð 2, broadcast 6. April 2010.
  3. ↑ Akureyri, Verkmenntaskólinn á. "Frumsýning á Litlu hryllingsbúðinni á föstudagskvöldið | Verkmenntaskólinn á Akureyri". Verkmenntaskólinn á Akureyri. Retrieved 2016-11-14.
  4. ↑ "Mary Poppins leikskrá". issuu. Retrieved 2016-11-14.
  5. ↑ "Land og saga - BÓ . Eftir Gísli Rúnar Jónsson". www.landogsaga.is. Retrieved 2016-11-14.
  6. ↑ Gísli Rúnar Jónsson (2011-01-01). Ég drepst þar sem mér sýnist (in Icelandic). Akureyri: Tindur. ISBN 9789979653615. OCLC 869231559.
  7. ↑ "Edda Björgvins opnar sig: ,, Ég hef stundum meitt fólk með gríni". Pressan.is. Retrieved 2016-11-14.
  8. ↑ "Róbert Óliver grennti sig, hætti að drekka og flutti til Hollywood: ,,Ég er ofboðslega þakklátur fyrir lífið mitt í dag". Pressan.is. Retrieved 2016-11-14.
  9. 1 2 "I love Tourette's, ADHD and OCD". Icelandic ADHD Society. http://www.adhd.is/static/files/greinasafn/frettabref/2010_2.pdf. {{cite journal}}: External link in |volume= (help)
  10. ↑ "I don't think I've ever met a person with Tourette's who isn't fun". Icelandic Tourette's Society 20 Year Anniversary. 1.
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